The Elder Scrolls: The Ebon Indenture - Chapter 1
by Dovakaaz
Summary: We enter Ly'ro, our main character, as he embarks on his very first job for the thieves guild, to deliver a mysterious package sent to him by his ever-so-distant father.


Patience.

Patience was a word that was commonly directed at me by my mother, In many different situations: From when I was waiting for her to order a book from outside Skyrim, To waiting for father to finally come back from one of his "Business ventures", Patience was always a word she used in a time like this. I am a khajiit that respects and serves family at all times, Especially when it comes to my mother's words, But in this situation, The word "patience" was simply useless. My tail is wagging half as fast as a dog's tail would, My body is shivering slightly due to the high anticipation of the moment. My heart is thumping fairly hard, And I am tapping my fingers against my crossed arms as I lean on the wall of my home, Prepared to leave. My mother should have been down by now, But she must be taking her time. I don't blame her too much.

I was still dealing with minor anxiety, So in efforts to pass the time, I decided to revise my traveling gear. I grinned and looked at my own garments: The thieves guild armor, The armor I've been training in the art of stealth for so long to be worthy of equipping. I specifically desired the gray, Sleeveless variant of the armor for the sake of increased dexterity and nimbleness in combat. I also thought that this version of the armor was much more "stylish". I brandish my weapon of choice from my back side, Just above my tail; An enchanted dagger, Purchased and smuggled from the College of Winterhold, To my possession. According to my father, It was specifically nicknamed "The Carapace Bane". The reason why the blade carried this nickname, I forgot. I hoped it would come back to me eventually. I also hoped I wouldn't have to use the blade at all; While I certainly am not afraid of a battle, I only desire theft, not death. I sheathe my dagger back on my side, And rummage through my backpack. My inventory contains the basics of traveling, Along with a few leisure items: Bottled Water, Salmon steak, A copy of "Surfeit of Thieves", A watch, and a torch. All of these, I assume are necessary for my travels, Be it a simple ride on the carriage, or a walk through the northern mountains. As I Anxiously look through my things, I neglect to notice my mother already has appeared, Prepared to give me my delivery item, and send me off.

Her expression is neutral as of now, But I'm sure she's both happy and sad at the fact that I'm leaving for good now. She is carrying some odd package, Wrapped in linen and leather straps.

As I Repack the items in my bag, I ask, "I presume that is apart of my commission?"

She nodded and approached me, Slowly.

I continued, "So, What lies within that bundle of wraps, Mother?"

"If your father wanted you to know what was in this package, It wouldn't have the wraps over it." She replied in a somewhat surly manner.

I placed the package in my inventory and readied my bag on my back. Assuming It's finally time to go, My enthusiasm increased quickly,"Alright! So, what is the task at hand, Mother?"

She crosses her arms. "Well, Aren't we eager to start our new 'profession' as a filthy guild thief?"

I raise a brow. "You weren't acting as if that was a bad thing when I told you I wouldn't be in the house that often."

Her face turned sour as she raised her voice in anger. "Well you know what? I didn't want you or your sister Sharia to follow down your father's-"

I cut her off so our housecarl, Jordis, Didn't hear her yelling. "Mother! Please, calm down."

After a few breaths, Her head hangs low in sad reality. "Ly'ro... I wanted you to live an honest life, far, far away from this... I wanted the same for your sister, as well."

I approach her, attempting to wrap my arms around her."I understand already, Mother; we've been over this many times."

As I attempt to comfort her, She shoves me with one arm as her other arm covers her face, Which I had thought was in tears. "Ly'ro... my cub... you are my flesh and blood, But..." She raised her head and looked me directly in the eyes. "...Not like this; Not now."

I continued to look at her in a worried fashion.

She stared at me for a little while longer and then got back to the subject, Which was my first job for the guild. "Your first assignment for the guild is a simple delivery job."

I refocused myself.

"The package I gave you is to be delivered to an argonian named 'Walks-in-shadows' in the canal locksmith in Riften; You may meet up with your sister on the way there." She walked past me to the table, Took a seat as well as a deep breath. "After you deliver the package to the argonian, he should tell you where the thieves guild headquarters is, Then you can take more jobs from the members and doyens that reside within it. That is all."

Doing my best to not worry about how my mother felt, I walked to the door, Ready to leave.

Before I could touch the knob, my mother called me again. "Ly'ro... My cub..." She looked at me with a smile and a wave, and said,"...Best of luck to you."

I smiled back at her, Nodded slowly, and without another word, Left my home.

I took my steps out of the door and outside. My eyes squinted slightly at the brightness outside, for it was my first time coming outside today. I undoubtedly was not going to travel to Riften on foot, So my first thoughts are to purchase a carriage there. I began taking the walk towards the city gate. A carriage ride from solitude to riften was going to be quite the trip, so I relaxed a little, and preserved my enthusiasm until I actually arrived at Riften. When my thoughts were empty and my walk was getting dull, I decided to simply be the person I was, since I was a kitten; A nosy one.  
I rarely had people to speak to as a young one, and basically never had any friends in my life. Being the only khajiit family in Solitude didn't exactly help either, So I chose to simply listen into other's conversations and inspect how they are. Many people in solitude would be surprised by how much I know about them. When I started paying attention, I noticed a few guards eyeing me and giving me nasty looks. One guard in particular, was very clear in his expression. He was staring directly at me, eyes squinted. I stopped and looked back at him, with a brow raised.  
"Is something the matter?" I asked, with normality.

"I know thieves guild armor when I see it, You're not fooling anyone, scum!" The guard replied quickly, in an antagonizing manner.

I sadistically grinned after a few seconds of pretending to be oblivious. "I have no idea what you're talking about." I said, with obvious sarcasm.

"Just keep it moving... 'citizen'." The guard then spits, and afterwards ignores me, Not even looking in my general field of direction.

I continue to the solitude gates. I didn't blame him for his hatred and disgust towards me. Since the civil war ended, and the dragon crisis was averted by the dragonborn a decade ago, the guards have had little to worry about and bandit's have been less and less brazen these days, so they're quite uncommon.  
That being said, The guild, The Dark Brotherhood, and a few other undesirables are the only things left people have to despise these days. I just wished these guards and people would understand that just because i'm a thief doesn't mean that i'm this mindless, soulless person they label me as. I'm not asking for anyone's sympathy, and I know them feeling such a way would never occur, but I wish someone outside of my family would understand a few things about me and my kin. I wonder if they realize how awkward it is, being born into a family of thieves; Or better yet, knowing how awkward it is, having the guild-master of the thieves guild as your father. I never asked to be in such a position. I just desired someone outside of my family to vent that frustration towards, because I'm sure my mother and Jordis understood completely.

As I finish rambling to myself, I arrive at the main gate to solitude. The gate keepers, looking bored and lazy, let me outside, and I went down the road to find the nearest carriage. Leaving the city of stone and market behind and seeing and smelling some trees and natural foliage was nice; I don't come outside the city a lot. I arrived at the carriage, Stationed at the first watchtower outside solitude, surveying Katla's farm. It was the evening of tirdas, So I knew that the coach wouldn't be preoccupied with snobby peddlers or half-witted adventurers, Seeking an early grave. It did, however, have a single, pales skinned, woman in black robes, carrying a satchel with a few alchemical herbs sticking out of it. She looked as if she were in her early 20's, and had a distant, somewhat psychotic look in her eyes. Paranoia and unknowing had me in fear, Causing me to assume that she was a necromancer, Trying to get an easy picking of test subjects, or undead slaves, or worse. I called the carriage driver. He looked at me patiently, waiting for my response.

"Khajiit."

"So, where is this carriage stopping?" I attempted to relax, sitting away from the black-clothed woman.

"We're stopping at Whiterun, then at Riften, and back." He replied.

Still worrisome of the second passenger, I asked,"How long does it take to get to Riften at average time?"

"You'll be there by nightfall, most likely."

I took a small breath and waited for the carriage to embark. Calming down, I retrieved my book and began reading, and minutes later, the carriage began moving and my journey to Riften began.


End file.
